Pelvic Floor and Deep Core Rapport Series
An Online Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement Course with Sarah Baumert
This course is a series of lessons to establish a harmonious relationship for your hips, buttocks, pelvic floor, and deep core muscles. Learn to relax and build strength as we relate to the abdomen and pelvis as a center of power and sensitivity. This is a WHOLE BODY approach to pelvis and abdominal health.
For both men and women, improving the ability to both relax and engage the pelvic floor and the deep abdominal muscles can have positive effects and create a marked improvement for:
Back pain
Sensing a deeper and more relaxed breath
Easier standing and walking
Improved Balance
Healing from hip replacements or abdominal surgeries
Better sex through increased awareness, sensation and control
More effective bladder control
Lack of strength, coordination, or sensation in this area after giving birth
“I had a moment where I was feeling being propelled by my pelvis and it was so distinct. Everything felt easier, just less effort. And I was shocked when I got to standing! It just felt like gravity in the room was different. Because that is always difficult and it was actually kind of easy in a way. ”
Train your sensitivity in such a way that you find yourself feeling more alive and vibrant. Learn non-invasive ways to heal incontinence, pelvic pain, postpartum weakness, chronic low back pain, pain during sex.
No previous experience with the Feldenkrais Method is needed to participate. Practitioners and those with experience are welcome too!
What You’ll Discover In This Online Series?
Movement:
Eight 60 minute Awareness Through Movement Lessons
Seven mini lesson to practice throughout the week
Lessons Included in this Series:
1. Rolling a Ball from Hip to Hip with Pelvic Floor Awareness
2. Pelvic Floor Differentiation with Legs Tilting
3. Differentiating the Pelvic Floor: Front, Back, and Sides
4. Two Sitting Bones and Two Sides of the Pelvic Floor
5. Engaging the Abdomen: Breathing, Tilting Legs, and Inner Thighs
6. Organizing the Abdomen: Minimal Lifting of Shoulder and Hip Points
7. Movements of Opposition with Shoulder and Hip Points
8. Dynamic Sitting on Half a Chair
9. Coordination of Hands, Feet, Eyes, Lips, Pelvic Floor, and Breathing
Educational Talks:
6 Pre lesson Anatomy lessons for Locating Parts of the Pelvis
How Breathing Habits Affect Pelvic Floor and Abdominal Strength
A Synergistic Approach to Pelvic Floor Health - The Pelvic Floor as a Part of the Whole
Incontinence and the Bladder and Pelvic Floor’s Reciprocal Relationship
Dynamic Sitting
The philosophical framework for ATM
Example of course content: Pelvic floor anatomy lesson that precedes the Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lesson with Sarah Baumert
Connection:
Recorded Q & A to listen to questions, connect with the other students, and discuss the method and tools we are learning about.
Optional 10 minute consultation with Sarah
Online forum to connect and ask questions if you are doing the recordings
Email support
Ways to keep practicing:
Stream recordings indefinitely
Option to download recordings
*This series will require a mini 10 inch pilates stability ball. Found here for $10 at Target or on Amazon.
Once you have purchased the course, you will have immediate access to the class recordings.
How to use the Marvelous software for livestream and recorded classes.
Listen to podcast Episode 88 to hear more about this topic, or scroll down to read more about how the Feldenkrais method approaches pelvic floor health:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
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Yes, the Feldenkrais method takes a whole body approach to pelvic floor health.
The pelvic floor muscles do not work alone. They relate with and coordinate with groups of synergistic muscles including the deep abdominal muscles, the hip muscles, the deep muscles of the spine and the breathing apparatus. Using simple movements, imagery, breathing practices, and feedback from props, the lessons in this Feldenkrais course will support the organization of this complex system that is so important for our health.A secret to the Feldenkrais method is to reduce the force we create in our muscles in order to maximize the amount of information we have available for feedback. This means practicing intelligently and reducing the effort to get more refined sensations.
It may seem paradoxical to relax a muscle in order for it to become stronger. However, if a muscle is ALWAYS contracted it has less ability to contract any further and less ability to move through its dynamic range of actions. A habitually contracted muscle is a weak muscle! We will practice learning how to relax the pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles in order to engage them when necessary. Feldenkrais for pelvic floor health is not a practice of isolating the pelvic floor muscles with exercises like kegels. The lessons will support you to become aware of and relax compulsive muscular tension in the pelvis and abdominals, so that you can then learn to integrate them into functional everyday movements. ext goes here
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Yes, the Feldenkrais Method can help shift how we perceive stress—and, in turn, how we relate to it. In certain situations, stress can actually serve us by energizing the body to face a challenge or sharpening our focus during demanding tasks. However, when we remain in a heightened stress response even after the trigger has passed, this can lead to a habitual state of tension in both body and mind.
Feldenkrais invites a deeper understanding of how stress manifests in our movement and posture. For instance, the fear of falling—rooted in our vestibular system—activates protective reflexes like muscle contraction in the neck, chest, or hips. When these patterns are chronically engaged, we may experience shallow breathing, tension, and persistent discomfort. Feldenkrais lessons help gently interrupt these patterns and guide the nervous system toward more adaptive, fluid responses. Importantly, this isn’t just about removing stress habits—it’s about replacing them with healthier alternatives.
Partaking in a Feldenkrais lesson encourages the exploration of new patterns of movement, perception, and thought. —helping to shift away from ingrained habits that may no longer serve us. These unconscious patterns, often shaped by past experiences, can result in automatic, emotional, and physical reactions that feel limiting or even painful.
Modern research in neuroscience shows that emotional and physical pain both activate the same area in the brain—the anterior cingulate cortex—part of the limbic system that processes emotion, motivation, and motor control. Because of this link, movement and emotion are deeply connected. Emotions themselves are expressions of excitation in the nervous system, with a natural rhythm of peaks and valleys. By bringing awareness to how we move and feel, we can begin to influence our emotional state and the meaning we assign to our experiences.
As Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais observed, emotions are felt in the body as impulses from organs and muscles. When these signals reach the brain, we interpret them as emotions based on our past. Through movement and awareness, we gain the ability to pause, notice, and choose new ways of responding—inviting the door to be opened to greater emotional freedom and resilience. By examining and reorganizing how we move, we simultaneously reshape our patterns of thought and emotion. This opens new ways of relating to ourselves and the world—guided not by force, but by curiosity and mindful awareness.
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Starting in the 1930’s, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais began to develop a somatic form of neuromuscular re-education. Feldenkrais developed two practical approaches for exploring early developmental movements, as well as more advanced complex actions.
1) Functional Integration - manually directed, hands on, private lessons. Learn more about 1:1 the Feldenkrais approach here.
2) Awareness Through Movement - verbally guided mindful movement classes done in a group setting.
Both approaches are described as “lessons”, as they involve beneficial learning processes for the brain and body. In guided Awareness Through Movement classes you study your potential to act, and how you refine your self organization to make any movement. Feldenkrais is not stretching or straining, it is learning. The method uses gentle mindful movement and directed attention to help people learn new and more effective ways to move and be in the world.
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Both practices emphasize listening to your body, respecting its limits, and unlocking its potential. However, their approaches differ, offering unique pathways to self-discovery. A seasoned yogi might find Feldenkrais deepens their internal awareness, while a Feldenkrais practitioner might discover greater strength and power through yoga.
While most yoga practices tend to focus on alignment and the shape of a pose, the Feldenkrais method differs, in that the emphasis is on the coordination and quality of movement, not in holding a pose for a set amount of time or reaching the limits of a stretch. Feldenkrais emphasized ease and efficiency in movement and to never reach a point of strain or even stretch. The movements are always done within a range of comfort, creating an environment where the nervous system feels safe enough to learn and change. There are no shapes or poses in the Feldenkrais method, but instead we work with developmental movement patterns and mindful movement explorations.
A Feldenkrais approach to pelvic floor and abdominal health:
A secret to the Feldenkrais method is to reduce the force we create in our muscles in order to maximize the amount of information we have available for feedback. This means practicing intelligently and reducing the effort to get more refined sensations.
It may seem paradoxical to relax a muscle in order for it to become stronger. However, if a muscle is ALWAYS contracted it has less ability to contract any further and less ability to move through its dynamic range of actions. A habitually contracted muscle is a weak muscle! We will practice learning how to relax the pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles in order to engage them when necessary. This will not be a practice of isolating the pelvic floor muscles with exercises like kegels. These sessions will support you to become aware of and relax compulsive muscular tension in the pelvis and abdominals, so that you can then learn to integrate them into functional everyday movements.
“Pilates uses “gentle” pelvic floor engagement throughout the practice. However, I have become curious if said contraction is always appropriate. Within the space of the first 2 lessons, I have learned within myself that I am already in a space of contraction, so layering in more contraction is” pelvic floor overload”. Experiencing the pelvic floor in a more personal level will help me to understand “normal” pelvic floor function.”
The pelvic floor muscles are within a whole system of synergistic muscles that do not work alone. They relate with and coordinate with the deep abdominal muscles, the hip muscles, the deep muscles of the spine and the breathing apparatus. Using simple movements, imagery, breathing practices, and feedback from props, these lessons will support the organization of this complex system that is so important for our health.
The whole pelvic floor and abdominal system is very responsive to stress. While we all have voluntary control over this area, it also can respond to stress in a more unconscious way, similar to how the breath might react and tense when you are stressed. The pelvic floor, abdominals, and back, being a part of the breathing system, will also tighten when you are stressed. This can become a steady state or a habit leading to pain, discomfort, or challenges in feeling sensation and strength in this area. Sitting for long periods of time can also change the dynamics of the pelvic floor system. More pressure on the abdomen and the lack of needing to employ the abdominal muscles in sitting can change the feeling in the pelvic floor and increase tension. This series of lessons will help you discover strength and find harmony with the pelvic floor and deep abdominals to counteract these types of habits that result from stress. This will be a multi-disciplinary Feldenkrais approach to pelvic floor and abdominal health. Each lesson will be accessible for all abilities.
This series is inspired by teachings of my trainers and mentors, Aliza Stewart, Jill Miller, Barbara Benagh, Nick Strauss-Klein, Deborah Bowes and the pioneering research and teachings of Judy Pippen and Barbara Bell. For those looking for a series of lessons focusing exclusively on the pelvic floor, Deborah Bowes audio lesson set called Pelvic Health and Awareness for Women and Men is a great resource that is accessible for everyone.
““No correct posture or acture is possible without the pelvis being able to move freely in all its articulations.”
This course was originally taught live. All the recordings will be accessed via the BODY MATTER studio platform using Marvelous software. Once you have purchased the series, you will have access to the livestream classes and recordings.
How to use the Marvelous software for livestream and recorded classes.
Student experiences after participating in this course:
“I just finished doing class 2 in this series (from recording) and am surprised at how much more I am now aware of my pelvic floor. It’s not ideal and I still use imagery to help, but sometimes I feel the floor clearly. Wow! Pretty powerful. I know this is helping the other parts of my body heal too.”
”I love the visual musculoskeletal bits at the start of lessons. That really helps me visualize the anatomy throughout the lessons.”
”Without even thinking about it, I realized I was exercising my pelvic floor throughout much of my yoga class yesterday - it seemed as natural as breathing.”
”For the last 10+ years, I’ve been on path of learning and attuning more deeply to my body and my breath, with a goal of healing past injuries and living with more flexibility, ease, and joy. This has become even more important to me as I age. The Feldenkrais learning I’ve done with you have been so helpful; I experience notable differences in every lesson. And I’ve had such fun!”
”I had a moment where I was feeling being propelled by my pelvis and it was so distinct. Everything felt easier, just less effort. And I was shocked when I got to standing! It just felt like gravity in the room was different. Because that is always difficult and it was actually kind of easy in a way.
”Pilates uses “gentle” pelvic floor engagement throughout the practice. However, I have become curious if said contraction is always appropriate. Within the space of the first 2 lessons, I have learned within myself that I am already in a space of contraction, so layering in more contraction is” pelvic floor overload”. Experiencing the pelvic floor in a more personal level will help me to understand “normal” pelvic floor function.”
”This has brought up for me the difference between male/female binary vs a spectrum, and how that affects my body and learning through this session. Quite interesting for sure!”
”I haven’t done a lesson in a while and I felt like my body just immediately sunk into a relaxed state. I was able to stand up in a way that I have not been able to feel in a long time.”
”I especially like what you said at the beginning, to allow us to let go of expectations and to drop into a beginner’s mind. I’ve done enough Feldenkrais now that I know I am going to be prompted to try to feel certain things. But these ideas of being curious and letting things happen, and letting go of some control… Wow, I am always surprised at how much I need this every time. I appreciate these classes so much.””
This is a non-judgemental, non-corrective, and liberating way to experience your body in motion. You will experience learning at your pace where noticing what makes you feel good is a priority. Notice what you are curious about, and recognize that experiencing pleasure and enjoyment in your body are measures of freedom. The lessons will be suitable for all levels, and will include a variety of positions, from lying on the back or side, to hands and knees, moving from sitting to lying, or rolling.
About your teacher: Sarah Baumert is known for her thorough and diverse instruction and her dedication to holding space for individual personal discovery. She facilitates whole body alignment in her students as a way for them to access balance, strength, mobility and physical clarity. Through sensory rich movement experiments, she guides students in cultivating mindfulness and deepening their learning process. Her experience includes working with people suffering from chronic pain, injury, illness, and other forms of dis-ease. She works with a variety of populations including athletes, seniors, artists, dancers, children, and those recovering from injury, using pain management, and alignment. Sarah is a certified Yoga Therapist, an Authorized Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® Teacher and Feldenkrais Functional Integration® Practitioner. Her objective is to acquire the most effective skills for helping her students live with less pain and more pleasure in their bodies.